Cloud backup with Google Drive

RepairNode backs up to your own Google Drive — there is no RepairNode server in the loop and we cannot read your data. Backups are encrypted on your phone before upload using AES-256-GCM, and the encryption key is derived from a 12-word recovery phrase that only you ever see.

Why cloud backup

• If you lose, break, or replace your phone, you can restore the entire shop on a new device.
• Daily automatic snapshots protect against accidental data loss (deleting the wrong customer, fat-fingering an edit).
• Backup history retains older snapshots so you can roll back to a known-good state.

Sign in to Google Drive

1. 1
   Open Settings → Data → Backup & Restore

   The screen shows backup health, sign-in status, and history.
2. 2
   Tap Sign in with Google

   You will be asked to grant access to the RepairNode backup folder only — not your whole Drive.
3. 3
   Pick the Google account

   Use a personal account, not a work account locked down by your IT admin.

Your recovery phrase

The first time you set up backup, RepairNode generates a 12-word BIP-39 recovery phrase. This phrase is the only way to decrypt your backups — without it, even Google cannot recover your data.

1. 1
   Reveal the phrase

   If Device Lock is enabled, authenticate with your phone first, then reveal the 12 words in a 2×6 grid.
2. 2
   Write it down

   Pen and paper. Two copies in two safe places. Do not screenshot it — your gallery is not safe.
3. 3
   Confirm two random words

   RepairNode asks you to type two random words from the phrase to confirm you wrote it down correctly.
4. 4
   Done

   Setup complete. The phrase is stored in the device keystore so day-to-day backups are silent — but if you ever restore on a new device, you need the written copy.

Your first backup

After signing in and setting up the recovery phrase, tap Back up now. RepairNode:

1. Snapshots the SQLite database.
2. Encrypts it locally with AES-256-GCM.
3. Uploads it to the appDataFolder under a timestamped filename like repairnode_backup_2026-04-25T10-12-37.enc.
4. Optionally uploads photos and signatures as separate encrypted files (one per asset, only new/changed ones each time).

Automatic daily backup

Auto-backup is on by default. Once per day, after you unlock the app, RepairNode silently runs a backup if:

• Auto-backup is enabled.
• You are signed in to Google Drive.
• A recovery phrase is saved.
• The last backup is older than 24 hours.
• You are not within the 2-hour cool-down after a restore.

The Backup screen surfaces the last automatic run and its status, so you can tell if a recent run was skipped (and why).

Backup history and retention

RepairNode keeps a tiered history so you can roll back to specific points in time:

• 5 manual backups
• 7 daily automatic backups
• 4 weekly automatic backups
• 6 monthly automatic backups

The Backup History screen shows the most recent 10 by default with a "show older" expander. Each row has a restore action and a delete action.

Restore from a backup

1. 1
   Open Backup & Restore on the new device

   Sign in to the same Google account.
2. 2
   Open Backup History

   You will see all available backups.
3. 3
   Tap Restore on the backup you want

   Enter your 12-word recovery phrase to decrypt it.
4. 4
   Wait for the restore

   RepairNode validates the decrypted database in a scratch file before swapping it in. Photos and signatures download in the background.
5. 5
   Done

   If Device Lock is enabled for the restored shop, RepairNode asks for one system-auth confirmation before opening. The shop is back exactly as it was.

Photos and signatures

By default, the database (customers, repairs, orders, settings) is always backed up. Photos and signatures are opt-in via separate toggles in the Backup screen, because they can be much larger than the database itself.

• If photos are on, each repair photo is uploaded individually to Drive. Only new photos are uploaded each time — incremental.
• If signatures are on, drop-off and pickup signatures are included in the encrypted database backup.
• On restore, photos are re-downloaded from Drive using the stored Drive file IDs.

How encryption works

Current backups (v3 format) use:

• AES-256-GCM for authenticated encryption.
• PBKDF2-HMAC-SHA256 with 600,000 iterations to derive the encryption key from your recovery phrase.
• 16-byte salt per backup file (so two backups never use the same key).
• 12-byte nonce per file with a 128-bit auth tag.

Older backups (v1 SHA-256+CBC, v2 PBKDF2-100k+CBC) remain readable for legacy compatibility, but every new backup is written in the v3 format.

Delete cloud data

Settings → Danger Zone → Delete All Data wipes the local database and offers to also wipe everything in your Drive backup folder — backups, photos, signatures, and logo files. The result is reported per domain so you know exactly what was removed.